Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.From the confirmation rite
Confirmation completes our baptism by sealing in the Holy Spirit. Deepening our baptismal grace, it unites us more firmly to Christ.
Through it we become full members and are drawn more deeply into the life of the Church, living a life expressed in the fulfilment of the love of God and of our neighbour.
In our diocese, confirmation is usually received at the age of 10 or 11 years. For adults, it may be the ultimate completion of the wider Right of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) course and reception into the Catholic Church.
Confirmation at St Mary’s
The sacrament normally takes place during Mass. After the Liturgy of the Word, candidates for Confirmation are asked to renew their Baptismal Promises. These take the place of the reciting of the Creed and largely follow the tenets set out in the Apostles’ Creed, rejecting evil and a profession of Faith, in a question and answer format.
Confirmation is usually administered by a bishop, who calls down the power and blessing of God by extending his hands over the candidate – emulating the actions of Christ and his apostles. The bishop then anoints the candidate on the forehead with the Sign of the Cross with the Oil of Chrism, with the words: be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. He then offers the Sign of Peace with the words: Peace be with you.
In our parish the ceremony usually takes place every couple of years but for adult reception into the Church, permission may be obtained for the sacrament to be delegated to and administered by the parish priest to avoid undue delay.
For further information, please contact the Parish Office by phone or use our Contact form.